Dana Iclucia
Dana Iclucia (ダーナ・イルクルシア) is the main female protagonist in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, and is first introduced as the mysterious blue-haired girl who appears in Adol’s dreams. Dana comes from the Eternian era, an extinct civilization who had previously lived on the Isle of Seiren. She is considered to be pretty small comparatively to her species despite of her blood as an Eternian. She succeeded the post of Maiden of the Great Tree, a position of the highest order of Eternia's Religion, and serves the Great Tree of Origins. She became one the Wardens of Evolution after defeating the Ancient Beast of Mist. However, she later sealed herself at the base of the Great Tree in order to avoid that role, to reawaken in Adol's era, and to stop the Lacrimosa. In the Epilogue, it was said that Dana's existence was erased from the memories of the Castaways except Adol who wanted to find her. However, in the True Ending, her memories with everyone were recovered thanks to the Earth Goddess Maia. She soon takes over the Great Tree of Beginning and the Providence of Evolution's (Theos de Endrogram) task and became the new Goddess of Evolution; together with the four Wardens of Evolution as her cohorts. Gameplay In battle, Dana uses her Crescent Moon Blades while rotating her body to pull off speedy attacks one after an other. Storyline Most of Dana's memories were dreamed by Adol on his arrival at the Isle of Seiren, and some were narrated by Dana herself. On her childhood days, Dana lived on a distant part of Seiren Island with her parents. Her potential power of Essence terrified her most from the visions she sees although her mother gave her an Essence suppressing accessory allowing Dana to live as a normal girl. But then, her mother died, trapped within their burning home. Dana blamed her of Essence, the blessing she feared, had it only she didn't suppressed it, her mother would've lived. Ever since then, Dana embraced her fate from the Essence. She wanted to prevent future tragedies and thus accepted the proposal of the Priests as a new Maiden candidate. Her father wasn't happy with her decision, even knowing that it is a decree for all candidates to be taken into the the temple. She met several candidates, including her best friends, Olga and Sarai. This is the first dream Adol witnessed on his first night at the Castaway Village. During Adol's next dream, Dana is wandering around like she always did. Although this time, she's searching for something as the base of the Great Tree of Origin. In midpoint Dana experiences a vision: a lady in the midst of its slumber inside the tree. She doesn't know who it is either. The old Maiden interrupts her search afterwards, Dana tells her about the lady inside the Great Tree, the revelation surprises her, but she suggests Dana to keep it a secret from both of them. Later on, Sarai and Olga catches her on her escape from the Great Tree, both of them are worried for her bad habit of ditching important rituals. On the next dream, Dana, Olga, and Sarai are on a run into the Temple's water reservoir to save their Temple from fire. Although Olga rejects her solution since it is the only reservoir their temple has. But without any other options, the trio amasses their Essence to collapse its walls and stops the flames that engulfed the temple. The three would have face detention only if the Old Maiden disapproves their action. Instead, the Maiden sees the great potential in Dana regardless of her recklessness. Dana grows significantly afterwards and she becomes the next Great Tree of Origin's Maiden that is equal in terms of power to the Aegian Queen- the ruler of their civilization. Her best friend Sarai also left the temple for good, but the Olga accepts her new post as the Chief Priestess. Her first trial is to offer a prayer on a newly planted seedling for the Arboreal Awakening, a ceremony occasionally held at the Great Valley. She must also endure the climb all by herself while her other attendants await her in the set location. As she set her prayers to the seedling she planted, Dana experienced of a vision of a Blue starry night sky, with the two moons illuminating the ocean that quickly changes into rough scenery of rain and thunderclouds, waves began to increase its height and as if for a moment she drowns instantly. Dana feels as if she's truly drowning from the vision and she never told her attendant of the true premonition, however, Olga knows she's lying and considers for now. Still, her vision was precise and it could be about the drowning of the Lombardia, and as if she sees the future from Adol's eyes. From the mystery of Sarai's departure, she eventually reappeared as the new Queen of the Aegian City. While with Olga's job is still to monitor of Dana's movements and her recklessness. Dana begins to have weird dreams of Adol's adventure and formally has their first interaction in the outskirts of the Aegian City as they search for a way down to the ancient city. Dana acts to help Adol on her own era and decides to plant a prayer tree at the cliffs near of Adol's encampment. Afterwards, she whispers her prayers to the seedling, creating a wooden bridge for Adol's group into the Aegian City. She later did it again at the Great Temple's entrance, where she is found at the base of the Great Tree of Origins. Concealed and unconscious, Adol finds a way to break the orb and carries her back to the Castaway Village. Because Dana was still unconscious when they arrived, Adol brought her to the cavern. He had many questions about who she really was, and most importantly, why she was at the Great Tree to begin with. The group didn't have enough time to find out, so they decided to confront the raiding beasts, which were accompanied by Primordials. The group almost lost the fight but with Dana's unexpected help, they defeated the beasts. Dana greeted Adol and the others after the fight and asked to join the Castaways for the time being. A big feast was arrange after the raid to commemorate their victory. Later on Dana told the crew that she had lost her memories and couldn't tell them anything about the insignia on her left shoulder. She wanted to rely on Adol's dreams and decided to help them in their attempt to leave the island. Dana mentioned the kraken-like beast whose names is Oceanus (probably depicted in Greek Mythology as Oceanus, the Titan God of the Sea and Poseidon's Nemesis). She also told them that information about the creature is archived in Baja Tower. Dana joined the expedition group and they headed to the tower she mentioned. The group stopped at the cliff which was surrounding the chasm near the city ruins. When Dana tried to remember the structure which stood on the place before the appearance of the chasm, her head started to ache. Adol and the others decided to take her away from that and proceeded to go to the tower. Because the entrance to the tower was blocked, Adol decided to interact with the past again. Dana uses her Essence so that the others could see the past like Adol did. The future interacted with Dana visions. She started asking herself why she was with Adol in the future and what event would destroy their civilization. She decided to help the group by planting another prayer tree at the base of the Baja Tower, where it will create a path for the group in the future. In the present, Dana travelled to the topmost floor of the Tower and activated the archives to search for information about Oceanus. They found out that the beast has a lair it will return to soon. The group used Essence Crystals to quickly teleport back to the Castaway Village. Dana helped them to create a teleportation ring with Euron's help as the craftsman. The crew assembled to review the information they found and started discussing about a way to locate Oceanus' lair. They decided to explore the city ruins once again and into the great hole. However to have a path leading into the great hole, Aegias Castle must be there, which in turn the structure itself was destroyed by something massive. Adol decided to interact to the past Dana at the nearby Essence Crystal and to plant a prayer tree in the base of the Aegian Castle. The tree grew into a splendid tree and also saved the temple from collapsing. With the problem automatically solved, the crew journeyed the depths of the castle and to the rift heading to the beast's lair. Dana, Adol, together with the others returned to the Castaway Village to create a plan to kill the beast once and for all. The expedition group were assigned to kill the beast inside its lair, while the remaining villagers will help them lure it back by injuring it. When the time came, Oceanus revealed itself at the nearby seas just at the sight where the villagers donned the catapults. Their offense started however Primordials interrupted. Dogi alongside Euron intercepted the beasts while the others opened fire into the beast ultimately sending it back wounded into its lair. The expedition group started to fight the now injured Oceanus on its lair and succeeded on their mission with the same style in battle raids. The beast's massive form brought difficulty into Adol's group however they managed to kill it in the end. Yet Dana received a premonition but she promised it to tell Adol later. The village celebrated their victory against their nemesis where they feasted more than they could in one night. Their morale are at a boost and now their only problem is to build their ship to escape the Isle. Dana isolated herself after the feast to the cliffs at the nearby shore. Adol came for her which she was grateful their problem is now solved. Adol however wanted to help Dana but she doesn't want her to get involved. On that night, Adol experienced once again a dream of being Dana. Dana got a vision of meteor strike that will ravage their city. She assembled to the Castle with Queen Sarai and Olga to create preventive measures. Dana gave the two the contents of her premonition, a series of waves of meteorites striking into their lands and devastating their civilization. She recommended to use the city tower's Essence Crystals as a means to create a much powerful barrier. With their preparations complete, the barrier was spread throughout the capital vast enough that nothing may pierce it. The series of meteorite struck the barrier. Dana's calculation was not enough and one of the meteorites struck the capital. Dana and Olga rushed into the tower to help but was interrupted by thick mist. The two ladies got separated and Dana faced a Primordial she had not fought before, the Ancient Beast of Mist. . She succeeded to defeat it single handed and the mist dissipated while Olga shouts out her name, looking for her. Yet it was too late to do their initial goal as a meteorite struck the castle. Fumes of smoke surrounded the area creating powerful winds and creating the great hole on the capital. The castle however survived because of the prayer tree's power that grew into a larger one clinging onto the walls of the structure. Dana's memories of her mother's death filled her head and blamed herself once again. Her despair instigated, a symbol on her left shoulder glowed giving enough pain for her to kneel. An odd female figure showed up on front of the castle bridge as if she clamors for Dana's victory against the beast. The woman asked or ordered her to head into the Valley of Kings. However the valley itself is forbidden even with her position as a Maiden adding only the Royal Bloods are ones allowed to get in the sacred place. With that, Adol's dreams stopped. With the meteor strike ended, their civilization is on a dire situation. The clouds created by the strike created thick layers of clouds denying passage for the sunlight. In turn their irrigation was affected by debris that collapsed on the rivers and waterways. Crops withered by lack of water as also with the decreasing temperature. The citizens started to leave the capital and flee their once wealthy civilization to what it is. Her best friend Sarai was missing after the incident. Dana was suspected with witchcraft by the citizens, even more of being the one who orchestrated Sarai's disappearance. However the politicians were in doubt the ones created the rumor to ease up the citizens and to blame someone who has a bigger responsibility to the people. She was hated, wanted to be killed yet she still stayed in the capital. There are still remained loyal to her especially her Priests whom decided to help the suffering citizens and sheltered those who are wounded. Dana had a hard time to decide what to do; will she head into the Valley of the Kings? Yet the answers to her questions were there and still the problem still remains, she is not qualified to enter it. Adol headed into the Valley of the Kings to help Dana yet it seems like she had proceeded further. They interacted with past-Dana again for a prayer tree into the entrance of the Lodinia Marsh and as it is complete, Dana appeared in front of them and regrets her actions of leaving them. She reunited with Adol's group and now committed to their help for her sake. The crew were able to arrive at the entrance of the Valley of Kings. They assembled their camp on the front as the light starts to fade into darkness and will continue their expedition the next day. The morrow came but an emergency message came from Little Paro as for another series of waves will come into their village. The raid was dangerous enough with all the Primordials present but another more ancient than those appeared. Grasping their own breath the crew was puzzled with the formations of the beasts that raid them. It's as if they were really been organized by some and particularly peculiar to begin with. Adol, Dana and the others got assigned to check the abnormality at the Gendarme's Summit. Peculiar as what it is like what is said back then, the beasts came from the Great Tree. The tree is entirely covered by thick clouds so they decided to get a closer look to it. Given the cloud or mist to envelope the entire area of the tree, their steps into the bridge got even harder as everybody got separated. Adol however, was the only one who fought the same beast Dana did, and also returned to the Temple entrance. Meanwhile Sahad and Ricotta retried their efforts to get on the base of the tree with loud cries but ended up returning on the same area. In an instant Adol felt pain in his body as an insignia appeared to him as it is the same as with Dana. Four figures appeared from the mist and stated their names: Hydra, Minos, Nestor, and the particular woman Ura. They are the Wardens of Evolution chosen by the Great Tree itself. The four welcomed their two new recruits: Dana and Adol, and once again asked Dana to head into Seren Garden beneath the Valley of Kings. Later on the crew ventured into the Valley as it is infested by undead beasts. The crew however arrived into Seren Garden, their true purpose to be there. An odd silence of the place gave the crew peace at the moment. Clear wa ter flows into the place's center and debris of man made structures are scattered all over the place. They ignored the place for a while and proceeded into the room situated past the empty place they are. A similar instrument (monolith) than the ones on the Baja Tower stands on the room they entered. Dana tried to access it but her credentials were denied in the process as she is not a royal blood. Ura appeared and gave the crew the access to the Monolith. Dana and her friends then found out the truth of the Great Tree's existence and its purpose of metempsychosis, the Lacrimosa. Hydra, Minos, and Nestor appeared and gave them a simple explanation of who they are and also their civilization. They too tried to stop the Lacrimosa but to no avail failed to accomplish their task as they fell to their roles as Wardens and Observer. Dana meanwhile figured that the Ura standing in front of them is none other than Sarai herself, a mimicry. Hydra mentioned a tree however, that can withstand the power of the Great Tree, the Tree of Psyches. He was the first to discover it and tried to nurture the tree with the same outcome as with every species of the Protectors era had done. Yet the four did not stop Adol and Dana's objective to stop the Lacrimosa. Instead, they gave them a much reliable force to combat it: the Tree of Psyches itself. The expedition group started to search its whereabouts as it is the very place they had passed by. But the Tree itself was gone on that era, so they communicated with the past-Dana to protect the Tree of Psyches: plant a prayer tree inside Seren Garden. At the past, Dana also nurtured the Tree of Psyches but her people started dying. The weather abnormalities reached the highest risk as the their tropical island was buried by snow. The atmosphere still covered by thick clouds. Her best friend Olga also died leaving her the only person alive in the island. But with hope of what she saw to the future, Dana sealed herself at the base of the Great Tree. Tree branches grew on her feet concealing her body from moving and lifting her high from the ground. With the past Dana's task complete, Adol, Dana and their friends were invited to the inside world of the Great Tree of Origins, the Octus Overlook. They were assisted by the Wardens on how to obtain the sealed psyches of the past great civilization back into the Tree of Psyches. Their first part started with Hydra's civilization, seconded by Minos', then Nestor's and the last is the psyche of Ura's civilization. However the psyche of Dana's civilization was not sealed inside the Great Tree for her treason of her role as a warden. And when the psyches were collected, the crew returned to Seren Garden to collect the very psyches that can rival the Great Tree's power. Dana chose Adol to receive as he is the next protector and is still the one meant to save their world. Adol lifted his sword into the tree, light gathered onto his weapon as it absorbed the energy that the tree is giving and transformed to his final weapon, the Mistiltein. Adol and his friends returned into the Octus Overlook to end the Lacrimosa's cycle once and for all. He used the power of his sword to destroy the barrier protecting the grounds where Theos de Endrogram, the Providence of Evolution itself, resides. It gave them difficulty against their opponent because of its massive body, it could also change its body attributes from slash, hit, and even pierce. Yet it prove the power of the Mistleteinn that they could defeat even an immortal being. Dana and Adol combined their Extra Skills to finish Theos de Endrogram. Their mission was fulfilled after defeating the Providence of Evolution. Every single Primordials that came out of the Great Tree dissipates into nothing one by one. The Octus Overlook became too silent but the outside world was not. Ura/Sarai came to them and informing the group about what's happening, the world is being engulf into the light. The group was on the verge of giving up, Laxia in particular was in doubt of their doings. She questioned the others if it is really a good thing to disrupt the Lacrimosa. Adol was given to choose one answer: This isn't over until it's over and We've done all we can. One particular girl, Dana, knew something and used her Essence to disrupt the end of the world. The next thing happened is Adol was now at the Castaway Village. Who woke up quickly as if his dream about Dana and their adventure was just a dream. Adol although was the only remembered Dana, and everything that happened. After he talked with Ricotta, Hummel, Sahad, he proceeded to the Essence Crystal to transport into the city of Aegias. Oblivious as it is, Aegias was no more and now the place it should have been was now a forest: no large buildings, neither its high towers, the stone streets, the Tree Temple, and ultimately the Great Tree itself. Ricotta, Laxia, Hummel, and Sahad also came to the place telling Adol they felt like something was dragging them there. The four also felt an obnoxious feeling in that place and joined Adol to unravel the mystery. Little Paro appeared flying down the Maple tree that stands on the hill infront of a high falls. The parrot then talked into unusual words they never heard before and transformed itself into the Earth Goddess Maia. The goddess then gave the four their memories back, adding that those memories are of the past world. Adol however was unaffected of the brain wash because he was a Warden of Evolution and had preserved his memories of Dana. Lady Maia informed that she was forced to awoken after their last fight with Dana's help. She told the group that Dana sacrificed her existence to replace Theos de Endrogram by dispersing the power of Mistilteinn and her Essence on which the Goddess used to rebuild the now new world. Ultimately the Goddess was the true responsible for the Lacrimosa and Great Tree's existence adding it was needed so it will make her bored. The world, although for her, was just a dream. Everything: the life, the incidents, catastrophes are parts of her dream. Everything will collapse once she wakes up. The group then asked the whereabouts of Dana, Lady Maia in return offered the way into the Abyss of Evolution wherein they might see her. Adol's group ventured the Abyss and approach a very light location and battled a baby like being but summons beasts for its protection. In its last breath it summoned a gigantic insect-like beast and rode on it. They succeeded defeating the beast and returned to the hill where the Goddess Maia stood. They're confused why they returned to the then Aegias City, and felt betrayed. The Goddess however mentioned that Dana is now a concept who can be everywhere. A being slowly showed herself beside the goddess, it was Dana. Ricotta embraced her quickly as she appeared. Dana's appearance was something different as she wears white robes with see-through silk dress below her chest. Her hair is tied in a different manner with blue leaves appearing on her forehead. The goddess Maia announced Dana as the new goddess, the Goddess of Evolution. She is now the one tasked to watch the world, use the Lacrimosa if it is now needed. She was not confident on her role especially because it was the Lacrimosa that gave her true burden. Yet she employed the ex-protectors of evolution as her cohorts to help her watch the world. Hydra mentioned that they will use the Lacrimosa if it is really needed to save the world from collapsing, while Nestor warned them if it came quick the judgement will be given fast. Lady Maia told Dana for she must be asleep once again. Dana gave her last words to her friends. She gave her thanks for their help, grateful perhaps. Especially to Adol whom she have the best connections. Without him, the Lacrimosa would've been complete. She knew Adol before they met and was inspired by his adventures, also what he has done and his friends to the world. She gave her last thank you to Adol with a hug and tears before she faded away with her cohorts and Lady Maia. Character Relationships Olga Dana's childhood friend. She’s a hard worker that is tough on herself and those around her. While she does often make cautious remarks towards Dana who always finds ways to get in trouble, she has acknowledged Dana’s rich imagination and decisiveness since they were kids. Olga may have a different way of thinking and living compared to Dana, but has always protected her friend since they were children and continued doing so even as they grew older. After Dana's succession as the Maiden she served as the Chief Priestess despite her option to return home. She's one of the few Eternians to know about Dana's ability to communicate to Adol's era and helped her to reveal the reason of their civilization's extinction. She suffered her death a year after, Dana escorted some of the Eternians to the southern countries. Sarai Dana’s childhood friend and co-candidate for the Maiden's Post. Sarai has a gentle and cheerful personality, and treats everyone equally. She loved listening to rumors as a kid, and would watch over Dana the troublemaker who caused trouble to those around her, and Olga who would scold her for it, when they were young. Later in the story, it was revealed that the real Sarai had died when she was younger, and that the Sarai that Dana knew was a projection created by Ura, a Warden of Evolution who had to power to shape-shift and imitate others. Adol Dana appeared in Adol's dreams in which he experiences her life as if it were his own. He is the next Warden chosen by Dana however everything turned upside down when the two rebelled on their roles and became the natural distortion of the metempsychosis or Lacrimosa. Dana knew him even before Adol's arrival and was inspired by his adventures. He was the reason of her determination to stop the next Lacrimosa. She promised Adol she'd tell her premonition before their fight with Oceanus which she fulfilled at the true epilogue and embraced him as a sign of thanks and gratefulness. Depending on the choice, Dana responds that she's really glad she met Adol or She'll never forget him and had a very sentimental farewell with her promise. Category:Characters Category:Ys VIII Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Dana Iclucia